Mouthguard questions

Light is $230 for players 15 and under, Medium is $320 for 16 and over, and Heavy is $365 for MMA, Muay Thai, kickboxing and hockey. Colours, names, numbers, flags and symbols are included. An uploaded image, such as a club logo, or a font outside the designer's list adds $20 each.

Yes, under item 151 on extras cover, for every tier. Claim on the spot in our Croydon clinic, so you pay only the gap, which depends on your fund and your cover. Club scan days are prepaid, and each player gets an itemised receipt to claim from their fund afterwards.

No. Mouthguards aren't among the items on the Child Dental Benefits Schedule (CDBS), so no clinic or lab can bill one to it. Families with extras cover can claim their child's custom guard on their health fund under item 151 instead, on the spot in our Croydon clinic or with the itemised receipt from a club scan day.

Sometimes. A boil and bite guard from a sports store costs about $10 to $70 and you can wear it the same day. A custom guard is made in a lab on a model of your teeth, costs more, and can be claimed on your health fund. Which suits you depends on your sport and how often you play.

Under five minutes. A clinician moves a 3Shape TRIOS scanner around your teeth and a 3D model builds on screen as they go, so there is no impression putty to hold in your mouth. The model goes straight to our lab.

Inside Dental Spot, 7 The Strand, Croydon NSW 2132. Croydon station is about 100 metres away. The council car park on Paisley Road has two-hour parking, and there's street parking on The Strand. We scan during clinic hours: Monday to Thursday 8am to 5pm, Friday 8am to 4pm, Saturday 8am to 1pm. Book before you come in.

Contact us before you book, so we can tell your dentist what to send. Your dentist takes a 3D scan and sends it to us, our lab makes your guard, and we post it to you for an extra postage fee. Your dentist may charge for the scan.

We keep scans on file. If your teeth and bite haven't changed, we can check whether your saved scan is still suitable for a new guard. Growing teeth, braces or dental work since your last scan may mean you need a new one.

Allow 7 to 10 working days after your scan and design are ready. We confirm the timing when you book. Allow extra time for postage, and tell us first if you have a match, grading or fight coming up.

Anthony Adaimy, a registered dental prosthetist, and his team, in our own lab inside Dental Spot, a full dental practice in Croydon. Each guard is made by hand on a model of your teeth, in the colours and design you chose.

Yes. Our 3D designer lets you choose colours, a name, a number, a flag or a symbol and see the guard turn on screen before you book a scan. All of that is included in the price. Your own image or a font outside the designer's list adds $20 each.

Light, at $230, for children 15 and under. It is made from a 3D scan of their teeth, so there is no size to pick. We suggest a guard from their first contact sport, and we check their teeth and age at the scan before we make one.

Ask your orthodontist or dentist which guard to wear during treatment. For a custom guard, we generally recommend a Light mouthguard for children with braces once their teeth are aligned. If teeth are still moving, we recommend waiting and talking to us about the timing.

Yes. A night guard costs $400 when we make it at the same time as your sports mouthguard, from the same scan. The sports guard is priced separately. Call us about a night guard on its own, and don't sleep in a sports guard instead.

Rinse it in cold water after every session and clean it gently with mild soap. Skip toothpaste: it is abrasive, and scratches hold bacteria. Let the guard dry before you store it in its vented case, and keep it away from hot water, direct sun and hot cars.

We recommend a new guard every year for players under 18, because their teeth are still changing. At any age, replace it straight away if it is cracked, torn, thinning or warped, or after braces or dental work change your teeth.

Not unless your dentist advises it. A sports guard is made for training and games, not for overnight wear. If you grind or clench your teeth at night, a night guard is a different appliance, made for sleep.

Yes. We bring the scanner to your ground or school and scan every player in under five minutes each. A scan day needs 30 players in Sydney or 50 interstate, all paid in advance, with 2 to 3 weeks' notice. Players design their guards from a team link.

Six NRL clubs, including the NRLW sides of the Parramatta Eels and Cronulla Sharks, plus junior league clubs, schools and fight gyms. A club can have one design for the whole team, in its colours, with each player's name on their own guard.